Favorite Web Sites: General Reference

The web sites featured this month have been critically evaluated and selected
by the IU Northwest librarians as well as a group of academic and public librarians across
the United States who compile a yearly Best
Free Reference Web Sites List for the American
Library Association. Here is a list of selection
criteria initially created by the MARS Best Free Websites Task Force to choose
these sites. The Library hopes our readers will find these web sites useful for
locating reliable, accurate and authoritative information on the Internet.

Answers.com is a search engine that searches and cross-indexes
online research tools. Its 100 plus resources include the Columbia
Electronic Encyclopedia, Merriam Webster's Dictionary, who2 and
Wikipedia. Answers.com displays the full result of your search on
one page, unlike general search engines such as Google or Yahoo,
which may produce many pages of results. The creators' goal is to
"provide a topic based snapshot answer rather than thousands of
pages that contain your word." Answers.com can be a very useful
resource for those looking for a fast succinct answer about a topic.
(Summary used by
permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)

Wikipedia is a free, web-based encyclopedia edited by its
readers. Each of its over one million articles may be edited,
corrected, or updated by anyone in the world. Readers are encouraged
to correct spelling, fix grammatical errors, check the accuracy of
information, translate articles into one of over 150 languages
available on the site, and update biographical information. The
site's aim is to "create a world in which every single person on the
planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge." The
obvious drawback to this site is the potential for erroneous
information. The site's creators rely on the popularity of the
Internet to help maintain the information's integrity. Wikipedia
also provides current information available with news feeds from
various news sources. (Summary used by
permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)

In addition to including searchable access to the Compact Oxford
English Dictionary, this site features many other helpful resources
for writers and students. The site is divided into several sections:
Ask the Experts, World of Words, Better Writing, Games, Global
English, and Foreign Languages. Each area has outstanding features,
such as the wonderful "borrowings into English" in the Global
English section. This section allows the user to click on a map and
see what words from the chosen country have been adopted into the
English language. Did you know that both "bug" and "flannel" are
Welsh words? Other resources are just as enjoyable, interesting and
practical. This site would be an exceptional teaching tool for
upper-level high school English classes or lower level college
students. (Summary used by
permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)

A revision of iTools' former Research-It! and FInd-It! pages
brings together many useful online tools under six main headings.
Search Tools provide links to search engines, subject directories
and phone numbers or e-mail directories while Language Tools provide
links to a variety of dictionaries, thesauri, and language
translators. Research Tools link to such resources as encyclopedias,
newspapers and magazines , and the Financial Tools provide currency
converters. Map Tools provide links to driving directions and maps,
and the Internet Tools allow the user to search networking, web and
html sources. For resources in all six categories, you may either
use the search interface provided by iTools or link directly to the
source sites. (Summary used by
permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)

The Librarian's Index to the Internet describes
itself as "a searchable, annotated subject directory of more than
7,900 Internet resources selected and evaluated by librarians for
their usefulness to users..." The site features an extensive
directory of 40 clickable subject topics ranging from arts to women.
Users can also locate relevant web sites by using a detailed subject
heading index or by using the keyword search box. A keyword
search groups the results into categories: e.g. "Best of...,"
"Directories," "Databases," and "Specific Resources." In addition,
Librarian's Index to the Internet offers a free e-mail subscription
to a current awareness service which features short annotations to
the top 20 web resources added each week. This comprehensive online
directory of critically evaluated web sites is an essential tool for
any reference librarian. (Summary used by
permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)

Begun in 1995 with the mission of "indexing quality Internet
sites and assisting visitors in navigating these sites," Refdesk.com
has won numerous web site awards and accolades from reference
librarians as an essential reference tool. The Reference Resources
and Facts Search sections provide links to a wide array of ready
reference sources, from Acronym Finder to Zip+4 Code Lookup.
Conveniently located links to Britannica, the Old Farmer's Almanac,
Bartlett's Quotations and Roget's Thesaurus are available, to name
just a few. Current News contains an impressive list of electronic
journals, newspapers, and news services. Although the initial
impression of the home page is that it is a little too densely
packed with lists, it's still fairly easy to navigate by browsing
the well organized categories on the home page or by using the well
placed, user friendly search engine. (Summary used by
permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)

This web site offers a one-stop source for ready reference with
material from the Information Please Almanac, the ESPN Information Please Sports Almanac and the A&E
Entertainment Almanac as well as the Random House
Webster's College Dictionary and The Columbia
Encyclopedia. The main page is designed for quick access
with both a search form and an index of hot links under ten broad
topics. Other handy features include facts behind the news (e.g. the
September 11th terrorist attack on America), today in history, a
biography search and a well-placed keyword search engine that allows
the user to search all or specific sections of the database. (Revised
summary used by permission of the MARS Best Free Websites Committee)

IU Northwest Library Installs a New Security System

After twenty five years, the Library's entrance has a new look.
The turnstiles and gateway system have been removed and have been
replaced with a brand-new, state-of-the-art entryway and security
system. The new equipment installed by the Checkpoint Company
features oak panels which match the decor of the nearby
Circulation/Reserve area. The panels define "corridors" and allow
library users to enter and exit the library much easier than the
turnstile system. This new configuration is also much more
accessible for people with disabilities.

Stop by soon and tell us what you think of the new renovations to
the Library's entrance. It is hoped that these improvements will
serve the library well for years to come.